The Penguin English Library Edition The deadly hand of Professor Moriarty once more reaches out to commit a vile and ingenious crime, but a mole in Moriarty's criminal organization alerts Sherlock Holmes of the evil deed by means of a cipher . . . When Holmes and Watson arrive at a Sussex manor house they appear to be too late. The discovery of a body suggests that Moriarty's henchmen have been at their work. But there is much more to this tale of murder than at first meets the eye.

A coded warning of danger sends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to the country house of the Jack Douglas. When they arrive too late to prevent a tragic death, the great detective and his chronicler must follow a series of clues to find a murderer.